Ask HN: What E-Reader to Buy?

4•conor_f•4h ago

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to buy a new e-reader and am looking to crowd source some more recent opinions vs the similar threads from 2024 or earlier.

The two biggest new questions seem to be: - Color vs B&W - Writing input vs None

The existing criteria still remain, these being: - Price - Screen size - Battery life - Backlight - Physical page turn buttons - Ecosystem (manufacturer, hackability, repairability, etc)

For recommendations, my primary criteria would be that it is in the 6-7 inch screen size range, and is not manufactured by Amazon. Mild preference for writing input (but I have seen nothing in this screen size range with this), and apathetic about color screen or not.

Overall, just land all your recommendations or e-reader thoughts on me!

Comments

keiferski•4h ago

I don't know the exact model, and I bought it 5-10+ years ago, so I don't know the current models are, but I've been really happy with my Kobo. It's as easy as drag-and-dropping files. But I do use Calibre to manage them.

al_borland•3h ago

I have a Kobo which has worked well enough for me. I have ebooks in Calibre, which I use to sync them over to the Kobo.

I think I have the Clara.

There are a couple ways the Kobo will render an ebook. If not in a Kobo format, it is pretty ugly, so converting them is worth it. I read thousands of pages before realizing this.

janrakete•3h ago

I use Remarkable 2. It's not exactly an e-reader, but more of a notebook and sketchbook with a paper-like surface. It is, however, quite expensive. It's definitely too much money just for reading.

t-3•1h ago

Kobo makes the best linux-based readers, but they're somewhat more expensive (I have a Libra 2 and a Sage, my only complaint is lack of a good web browser). Onyx Boox has some nice android readers (I have a Poke 3 that I took everywhere until dropping it one too many times killed the screen), and they are generally slightly cheaper in comparable hw classes to Kobo.

mstaoru•1h ago

I'm very happy with Onyx Boox, always getting a new one when visiting family for CNY. It's a pretty much stock Android, you have adb, a choice of readers, can do whatever Syncthing/Dropbox you like, read DRM PDFs, watch Youtube, read HN.

Don't get color unless you read a lot of comics, color film compromises B&W contrast a lot.

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Comments

Everything that happens in a US airport is under duress

Tell HN: HackerOne Announces Mandatory identity verification

Ask HN: What's the Point of Your Startup?

The Mistake That Cost Me a Year

Ask HN: When a post of yours does well, do you know why?

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Ask HN: What former "must-have" AI agent skills have you deprecated?

Robotics development made dead simple (open source)

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Stripe's opt-out Radar price increase dressed up as a free trial

I built an independent peptide testing lab that accepts mailed samples

Can LLMs have an "accent" like second language speakers?

Ask HN: Do older programmers/CS academics view AI safety as a form of arrogance?

Ask HN: Navigating Source Code (especially on large projects)

Ask HN: Should authors disclose if they are paid to write a blog post?

YC startup offers interviews to people who get their name permanently tattooed

Ask HN: Crooked Timber showed showed me a virus captcha, What now?

Tell HN: Airbnb updated "necessary" cookies aren't

Belkin killed my smart switch. I got it working again without their app